IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 427 

Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Congressman Louis Stokes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 

Ms. FUDGE (for herself, Mr. JOYCE, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. RENACCI, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, 

Mr. STIVERS, Mr. GIBBS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. LATTA, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. 

HOYER, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DANNY K. 

DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. AL

GREEN of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 

JEFFRIES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of 

Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 

MOORE, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. 

RUSH, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. WILSON of 

Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on House Administration 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of 

Congressman Louis Stokes. 

Whereas Louis Stokes was born on February 23, 1925, in 

Cleveland, Ohio, to Charles and Louise Cinthy Stokes; 

Whereas in 1943, Louis Stokes graduated from Central High 

School in Cleveland, Ohio; 


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•HRES 427 IH 

Whereas from 1943 to 1946, Louis Stokes served as a personnel specialist in the United States Army; 

Whereas following these years of military service, Louis 

Stokes returned to Cleveland and attended the Cleveland 

College of Western Reserve University from 1946 to 

1948, and subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from the 

Cleveland Marshall School of Law in 1953; 

Whereas Louis Stokes practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio, for 

14 years and was one of the founders of the Stokes, 

Stokes, Character and Terry law firm; 

Whereas during his time at his law firm, he became involved 

in a number of civil rights-related cases, often working 

pro bono on behalf of poor clients and activists; 

Whereas Louis Stokes tried three cases before the United 

States Supreme Court, including the landmark case of 

Terry v. Ohio, which defined the legality of police search 

and seizure procedures; 

Whereas, on November 6, 1968, Louis Stokes was elected to 

the United States House of Representatives, representing 

the 21st (later the 11th) District of Ohio; 

Whereas upon his election, he became the first African-American to represent Ohio; 

Whereas he was a founding member of the Congressional 

Black Caucus, an organization comprised of the Black 

Members of the United States Congress, created to be 

the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities, 

and he served as its chair for two terms; 

Whereas in 1971, Congressman Stokes was the first AfricanAmerican to serve on the House Appropriations Committee, and by his retirement in 1998, had earned the 


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distinguished rank of ‘‘Cardinal’’ as chair of the Subcommittee on VA–HUD–Independent Agencies; 

Whereas Congressman Stokes chaired a number of historic 

committees such as the House Select Committee on the 

Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. (95th Congress); the Permanent 

Select Committee on Intelligence (100th Congress); and 

the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (97th– 

98th Congress); 

Whereas he also served on the House Committee on the 

Budget and gained national prominence as a member of 

the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms 

Transactions with Iran in 1987; 

Whereas in 1998, he successfully led the House in passage 

of H.R. 1635, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, his final major piece of legislation; 

Whereas, after serving 15 consecutive terms in the United 

States House of Representatives, Congressman Stokes 

ranked 11th out of 435 Members of Congress and was 

the dean of the Ohio delegation; 

Whereas few Members have left such an indelible mark in 

this institution; 

Whereas with kindness, integrity and diligence, he worked 

hard with both sides of the aisle to serve the constituents 

of his Congressional District, the city of Cleveland, the 

State of Ohio, and citizens of the United States of America; 

Whereas he worked tirelessly for minorities, the poor, and 

disadvantaged persons, and he played a pivotal role in 

the quest for civil rights, equality, and justice; 


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Whereas his Christian faith was the foundation of his service 

to others; 

Whereas he often expressed gratitude for the sacrifices of his 

mother—a young widow, former sharecropper, and 

daughter of slaves—who inspired her sons to get an education so that they would not have to work with their 

hands as she did as a domestic worker; 

Whereas Congressman Stokes received numerous awards and 

honors during his lifetime that recognize his leadership 

and his commitment to public service; 

Whereas there are several landmarks in the city of Cleveland 

that bear his name, including the Louis Stokes Wing of 

the Cleveland Public Library, the Louis Stokes Health 

Sciences Center at Case Western Reserve University, and 

the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center; 

Whereas nationally, buildings named in his honor are the 

Louis Stokes Laboratories at the National Institutes of 

Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Louis Stokes 

Health Sciences Library at Howard University in Washington, the District of Columbia; 

Whereas given his commitment to education, the Louis 

Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) in 

STEM at the National Science Foundation also bears his 

name; 

Whereas LSAMP assists universities and colleges in increasing the number of students completing high-quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM) disciplines in order to diversify the 

STEM workforce; and 


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Whereas Louis Stokes received 26 honorary doctorate degrees 

from colleges and universities and on July 8, 2003, was 

honored by the United States Congress with the Congressional Distinguished Service Award: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy 

3 of Congressman Louis Stokes; and 

4 (2) extends its heartfelt sympathies and condo5 lences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Con6 gressman Louis Stokes. 

Æ 


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